I'm starting to think that the money isn't worth all this.

I imagined my first day to be easy where Brandon would just show me the ropes. Unfortunately, since I have zero experience, Brandon's uncle- or Mr.Rubio- thought it fit to put me on busboy duty.

Or is it busgirl now?

Either way, I wasn't happy.

"How's it going?" Brandon strolls over to me and helps me clear the table.

"Bad. Why do people eat like animals?" I whine, wiping the ketchup off the table.

"Sometimes people drop things. It's only human."

I sigh because I know he's right. Hell, I've spilt a million things on tables and haven't thought twice about them.

"How long did you have to do this?"

"Uh, actually since this is my uncle's place and all, I directly started as a waiter." Brandon actually looks guilty about this and he quickly adds, "But don't worry, Liza was promoted to waiter in a week. So you don't have to wait for that long."

I nod, trying not to look as dejected as I feel.

"Well, I'm going to get back to it. See you later." I say and shuffle away from Brandon.

Nothing about this situation was ideal. I had to report to work at 11, which means I have to get up way earlier than what I'm used to. I'm a growing teenager and I need my rest.

I, also, get no tips. So, I have to survive on my meagre salary and when I say meagre, I mean meagre.

Not to forget, I'm still nursing a killer headache. I can only hope that Mr.Rubio doesn't see me as some kind of unreliable, drunk teenager.

I work diligently for a couple of hours, silently cursing my luck the entire time. I was trying to stuff the broom back in the tiny closet when Brandon calls out to me.

When I was trying to stuff the broom in the tiny closet, Brandon calls out to me.

He leads me to a booth and I follow him, perplexed until I see who's seated there.

I hear a lot of catcalls and cheering as I approach the table. I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, nervous of all the attention I was receiving from the other tables.

"Guys, stop! You're embarrassing me! I want to be seen as a professional." I whisper-shout at them, keeping an eye out for Mr.Rubio.

Even though Brandon assured me a million times that he's very kind, Mr.Rubio scares the shit out of me. Maybe because he looks like a very stern man. With his gruff beard, grey eyes, strong build and perpetual grim expression, Mr.Rubio didn't exactly remind of a teddy bear.

"But it's your first day! You deserve to be cheered." Belle whines and I shut her up by glaring at her. Belle, Creed and Filip are on one side of the booth whereas Cayden and Jason are on the other.

"I've been trying to tell them to shut up ever since I woke up but they don't listen to me." Creed complains as he nurses his head between his hands.

"Wow, you're in even worse shape than I am." I remark, thanking my body for not being so weak.

"Can you talk or do you have to work?" Filip asks and I take a second to admire how good he looks. He's wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans and I marvel at how he can make a simple outfit look sophisticated. I mentally compare Filip to Cayden, who's wearing a graphic tee and some Khaki shorts but quickly brush that away when I realize that Cayden will win by a wide margin.

I don't know if it's the contrast between his pitch black hair and sea blue eyes or the fact, that I actually had a crush on him but there's just something about Cayden that sets him apart from the rest.

"How was your dinner party?" I ask Filip as I take the only available spot next to Cayden. Our thighs brush as I sit next to him and I completely ignore the electricity that jolts me.

"It was boring as hell until Stacy Williams showed up." Filip says with a grin and wiggles his eyebrows. Belle and I erupt in disgust while the guys, with the exception of Creed, hoot.

Ah, Stacy Williams, one of the most popular girls in our school. She was really pretty so I wasn't really surprised that Filip was interested in her. She seemed like a nice girl but our groups never ran in the same circle.

Let me correct myself, I didn't run in the same circle as her but because Stacy is close to most guys on the football team. So, Belle and Stacy are kind of friends as they are linked by Jason.

"Were Gizelle and Suzan there too?" Creed perks up and I reach across the table to smack him.

Gizelle and Suzan were the other popular girls in our school. They, along with Stacy, formed the trinity that every guy wanted to, for lack of a better term, bang. Unfortunately for them, the girls have really high standards. Gizelle is already in a very serious relationship with some guy from college but Suzan and Stacy played the field enough to make up for her absence.

"Don't you have a mystery girlfriend?" I ask Creed, indignant that he would think about other girls when he was supposed to be thinking about only one.

"She isn't my girlfriend! God, I'm too hung-over for this conversation!" Creed exclaims as he leans his head on the table and tries to sleep.

"You don't want to do that. I don't clean these tables really well." I wipe the table with my index finger and rub it with my thumb, cringing at the oiliness. Belle, who had been leaning on the table with her elbows, immediately sits up straight.

"Wait, why are you cleaning tables? Aren't you a waitress?" Cayden asks me and I find myself staring back at five inquisitive eyes.

"No." I sigh before continuing, "Because I have no experience, I'm stuck with cleaning tables now and occasionally, helping them out in the kitchen."

"By help, do you mean washing the dishes?" Jason tilts his head and throws me a questioning look.

"Yeah, I do." I grumble.

"Oh," Belle says and a disappointed silence falls over the table.

"So, um-" Cayden clears his throat, "-When will you get off?"

"Three-thirty," I say as I look at my watch. I have two more hours to go.

"So, you're joining us for lunch?" Filip asks me as he goes through his menu.

"No, I'm not. I had lunch a while back and I really need to get going. My break was over five minutes ago." I get up from the table and blow them a flying kiss,"Thank you so much for coming over. You guys are the best!"

Filip catches the kiss and sticks it to his heart while winking at me and Cayden tries to duck my kiss by hiding under the table.

"Wait! Do you want us to pick you up from work?" Jason asks me just as I'm about to leave.

I look at Creed who honestly doesn't seem like he could talk, let alone drive.

"No, it's okay. I'll just walk. It's only fifteen minutes to your house, I can manage."

"Then, we'll see you later at home." Belle says and gets up to hug me. "I know your job sucks but don't forget to kick ass."

I laugh and thank her for the encouragement and immediately get back to work.

A/N: Yes, I know this chapter is really short but if I had included the next part, it would have been really long. Do you feel my problem here? Anyway, hopefully, you all LOVED this chapter.

Have an amazing day!